Conventional vehicle door latches may include a movable “claw” that engages a striker to retain the door in a closed position when the latch is in a latched condition. A pawl selectively prevents movement of the claw from an engaged position to prevent the vehicle door from opening. The pawl may be mechanically connected to interior and/or exterior door handles whereby movement of the handles unlatches the latch by shifting the pawl to a released (unlatched) position, thereby permitting the claw to move and disengage from the striker.
Powered door latches (“e-latches”) have also been developed. Powered door latches may be unlatched by actuating an electrical “unlatch” switch. Actuation of the unlatch switch causes an electric motor to shift a pawl of the powered latch mechanism to a released (unlatched) position that allows the claw to move and disengage from a striker. However, known e-latch arrangements may suffer from various drawbacks such as unintentional or accidental trigger of the release switch causing the door to unlatch.